My pal, Groot has been raving about this place so much that I had to go check it out. Here's a helpful hint - Sell all your clothes before you visit because you will not need them anymore. you're going to Thai Heaven.

It is run by Mr. John and his wife, the Tip in the restaurant's name.

This place has 4 standard heat levels. Mild, Medium, New Mexico Hot (which is said to be hotter than most NM food) and Thai Hot - but you can order in-between levels. The owners take pride that they hand-select their meats and produce themselves and you can ask them to add to, omit from, make vegetarian style or otherwise specify a dish - given enough notice for very special requests (example: Groot wants someday to have a whole fish dish made. They suggested he talk to the cook and give her 2 days' notice). Thai purists will probably be unhappy that they usually do not include Fish Sauce and Cilantro, although I am sure you can ask for and get both. They say too many Americans are either allergic to or "ick" adverse to these. I admit to something of both so it suits me just fine. Again, if you love these, ask for them.

We split the thom kha soup with chicken at a in-between mild-to-medium level (Groot would have cheerfully gotten a higher heat level but I treasure my taste buds). It was amazing! (Although Groot @failed to tell me that one doesn't usually try to chew up the lemon grass chunks or the lime leaves in the soup. D'oh!) It arrived in a pedestal bowl with a reservoir for a heat source to keep it piping hot. There was enough soup in there for 2 little soup cups each and I took the rest home and it filled me up for a dinner the next night.

Groot was under orders from Marcia on TIM to try the Pad Thai (flat noodles stir-fried with egg, green onion, ground roasted peanuts and bean sprouts). I didn't try his because he was free to go to a much higher heat level than I can stand, but he assured me it was amazingly good. I chose a more East Indian dish, the Yellow Curry - Khang ka ree with tofu (Thai yellow curry in coconut milk with potatoes, onion and bell peppers). I'm nutty for that curry and coconut milk concoction! We both chose the Thai iced coffee. It was sweet, rich and swoonful.

I also could not resist adding the Sweet Rice with mango dessert. Warm, sweet rice (the just opaque extra soft stuff that so many people under cook and make it unbearably gummy. This, however was just as soft as little distinct clouds. Perfect!) with a 1/2 a mango sliced over it and splashed with warm cream!

I think I floated out of there.

So, if you are in Albuquerque and need something so ethereally sublime yet so nourishing to the body, find your way to Thai Tip!

1512 Wyoming Blvd. NE/ Albuquerque, NM 87112
Wyoming and Constitution, 2 blocks North of I-40 (Wyoming Exit) in The Integrity Plaza
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Now, the Gripe.

I wish my Landlord would not creep around at 10:30pm or later to leave a notice on my door that I only found by chance telling me that he would have the Bug Man come by here starting at 1:00pm!

ARRRGH!

I was HERE. I was HOME. I know I was sitting right here at my computer until 10:15pm or so with the porch light on. I didn't hear him. That's why I am saying he would have had to have CREPT around like a CREEP!

Is it too much to ask that he knock if the light is on and hand deliver the notice?

Also, I'd like more than - let's say if I woke up at 8:am and ran to check the door and found the notice, then - 5 hours' notice that a workman was going to be in my apartment?

As it was, I found it at 5:30am when I was up watching news and decided to take my trash out.

I've written and asked him for at least 24 hours' notice on this kind of thing. I understand emergencies and that there may be times he'll have to come in or let workmen in here with little to no notice. That's one thing. This, I feel is quite another thing.

What do you all think?